For Ages 5-14

Look, Listen, and Land: A Sensory Adventure

Look, Listen, and Land, is a transformative program where play and discovery take root in the heart of the Catskill Mountains at Sugar Maples Center For Creative Arts, a program of the Catskill Mountain Foundation. Guided by our team of inspiring instructors, young Explorers will journey from our spacious, light-filled studios to our stunning campus grounds to observe the intricate patterns of nature, tune into the rhythms of the wild, and ground their imaginations through art and creativity. Whether they are peering at the microscopic world or building interactive sculptures in the fresh mountain air, your child will thrive in an environment that seamlessly blends creative exploration with the joy of the great outdoors. Come build, listen, and play in a place where curiosity truly finds its home.

Fee: $240 + $35 Non-Refundable Registration Fee

SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE!!!

Scholarships are available to students enrolled at Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School or Hunter-Tannersville Central School Districts.

To apply you will need to provide a copy of the student's most recent report card or school evaluation and a recommendation letter from a teacher.

Scholarship requests must be received by June 15, 2026

Fee with scholarship: $65 + $35 non-refundable registration fee: Total $100

If you are interested in a scholarship, please fill out this Scholarship Application Form BEFORE YOU REGISTER

If you have questions, please contact us at administrator@catskillmtn.org

All levels welcome

This class will concentrate on combining hand building techniques to construct sculptural pottery forms. Enjoying working with clay will be our central focus in making forms in innovative ways. We will do a glazing intermission in the center day of the course where I will demonstrate my glazing technique and participants will have a chance to try their hand glazing on tiles that we will make at the very onset. Students will be introduced to classic “feeling” forms as well as going farther into more sculptural vessel forms that take into consideration abstraction and tension. Relationships to space, volume, and activated form will be emphasized.

Donna Polseno is a studio ceramic artist living in the mountains of Virginia, as well as in Liguria, Italy. She has maintained two parallel careers in decorative/functional pottery as well as sculpture, which has an emphasis on the figure and “still life”. She is the recipient of two NEA Fellowships. Her work has been shown in various museums and galleries both nationally and internationally. The most recent comprehensive exhibition of her pottery and sculpture was at the Huntington Museum, WV. Donna has taught at many schools including Haystack, Anderson Ranch, Penland School, and La Meridiana in Italy. Donna has been a visiting artist/teacher twice at Jingdezhen University in China. She taught part time for many years at Hollins University, where she created the annual symposium “Women Working With Clay” which she continues to help organize as the Founding Director.

Fee: $655 (Course Fee: $550 + Lab Fee: $65 [includes first bag of clay] + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40

All levels welcome

This three-day workshop offers an immersive introduction to cattail weaving, you will be exposed to some of the various methods of working with this versatile native plant, then apply them to a larger project. Working in a supportive studio environment, you’ll receive hands-on instruction and individual support as you work on a project of your choice. Suitable for complete beginners as well as experienced makers interested in working more deeply with cattails. All materials provided.

Renee Baumann is a Catskills-based designer, chef, and nature enthusiast with a passion for wild plants and fungi. Trained as an architect and a chef, she brings a creative, interdisciplinary flair to everything she does—whether she’s weaving baskets from local plants, illustrating mushrooms in watercolor, or whipping up delicious meals from foraged ingredients. Renee teaches workshops and techniques working with local fibers, with an emphasis on creating three-dimensional forms from bioregional components. Her work varies from traditional basketry using cattail and willow to sculptural felt and spinning foraged fibers. Renee teaches workshops on identifying and cooking with plants and fungi growing in the Catskills. 

Fee: $415 (Course Fee: $330 + Lab Fee: $45 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

All levels welcome

Dive into the vibrant, unpredictable world of abstract painting in this immersive 3-day workshop. Using the versatility of water-based mediums—watercolor, acrylics, and inks—you will explore techniques that emphasize texture, color harmony, and a variety of different approaches to mark-making. This workshop is designed to help you "loosen up." We will move beyond brushes to experiment with palette knives, spray bottles, and unconventional tools to create dynamic, layered, and deeply personal artwork. Whether you are a beginner looking for a creative outlet or an experienced artist wanting to break through a creative block, this session will provide the tools to develop your own unique abstract voice.

Loreen Oren graduated from Cornell University with degrees in Fine Arts and Psychology, followed by a Master of Architecture degree from Pratt Institute. A love for art and design was instilled in her from a young age, and she is a third-generation architect and artist. Loreen has traveled to over 40 countries, which has provided inspiration for her work. She works in various mediums, including watercolors, ink, acrylic and oil paint, but linear repetition inspired by nature is the essence.

Fee: $420 (Course Fee: $330 + Lab Fee: $50 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

All levels welcome

The letters of the alphabet can be a foundation as well as a place for experimentation. Using a fascinating series of hands-on and messy exercises developed by this award-winning instructor, students will explore non-traditional ways of making marks, generating letters, and inventing pictorial narratives. These methods can be applied to designing typefaces, adding new dimensions to calligraphic practice, creating personalized fonts, and even lead to unique ways of observing our world.

Cyrus Highsmith is a letter drawer, teacher, author, and graphic artist. He teaches type design at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He wrote and illustrated the acclaimed primer Inside Paragraphs: Typographic Fundamentals. In 2015, he received the Gerrit Noordzij Prize for extraordinary contributions to the fields of type design, typography, and type education. In 2017, he became Creative Director for Latin Type.

Fee: $305 (Course Fee: $220 + Lab Fee: $45 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

Some throwing experience needed

“I love making functional pottery for daily use, every aspect of the process is an opportunity to dig deep. I believe pots can be a powerful conduit for human connection, convey a sense of comfort, curiosity, and play. My choice of clay and glaze are hyper-intentional. The arrangement of slip/glaze, idiosyncratic marks, leaf motifs, horizon lines, circles, and grids represent my interest in seeing the world through a filtered lens, allowing my taste and experiences to bleed into my work. This approach helps to shift perceptions about what pottery can be; a profoundly soulful way to build relationships through a simple pot”. The workshop will include demonstrations, discussions, and a Cone 10 reduction firing.

Doug Peltzman was born in New York City and raised on Long Island. Having a voracious appetite for risk, being a skateboarder and artist, Peltzman has been making pots since 2003 and painting and drawing his entire life. After graduating with his MFA from Penn State, he established a pottery studio in Shokan, NY. He has taught workshops throughout the country, was a founding member of Objective Clay (2012-2021), and is one of the principal creators of the successful Hudson Valley Pottery Tour. Doug is a dedicated husband, full-time studio potter, and father of three superbly talented and cheerful children.

Fee: $660 (Course Fee: $550 + Lab Fee: $70 [includes first bag of clay] + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

All levels welcome

Using some of my hand-building templates as a starting point, students will learn how to design and create their own templates while transforming flat clay slabs into functional pottery forms. This class focuses on form development, template-making, surface texture, and thoughtful assembly/alteration techniques. Students will gain practical strategies for translating ideas into repeatable forms, strengthening problem-solving skills, and building confidence in slab construction.

Jen Allen is a studio potter, educator, and mother based in Morgantown, West Virginia. When she's not creating pottery, teaching, or designing templates, you’ll likely find her in the woods with her pup Margot, or at the hockey rink, cheering on her kids' teams.

Fee: $650 (Course Fee: $550 + Lab Fee: $60 [first bag of clay included] + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)

All levels welcome

In this hands-on workshop, Betsy demonstrates how to bypass the frustrating parts of making representational art using simple methods she has developed to make the process fun. Participants will learn how to transfer a basic sketch, make it look "realistic" right away by introducing the darkest darks, simplify what you see, and choose the most dominant colors. Participants will leave with their completed painting plus easy-to-follow methods for continuing their journey. All levels are welcome, from novice to expert. Tools and materials will be provided.

Betsy Jacks is a Hudson Valley-based visual artist. She grew up in New York City and was Director of Marketing for the Whitney Museum of American Art. For two decades she was the Executive Director of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site — an art museum and home of the 19th-century landscape painter. She has won numerous awards, including New York State Museums Individual Achievement Award of Distinction. Her work has been exhibited widely and is in the collection of the Albany Institute.

Fee: $430 (Course Fee: $330 + Lab Fee: $60 + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)